My favorite WriteOnCon post of today...so far...

Here is my favorite post so far today on the WriteOn Conference site. Martha Mihalick gives us a taste of what it is like in a day of an editor:

I can hardly contain my squees. Because we have Martha Mihalick, associate editor at Greenwillow Books, here! And how often do you get to pick the brain of an editor from a top YA imprint? Well, today’s your lucky day! Martha’s here to let you inside her head as she reads.



From Submission to Acquisition: An Editor’s Choose Your Own Adventure

It’s the end of the day! You send those last emails, make sure all the most recent submissions are on your ereader (three from agents today alone), write a note to yourself about what to do first thing tomorrow on a post-it and stick it to your computer monitor. And then you run for the subway.


Ah, a seat! That’s the plus of staying in the office till seven. You pull out the trusty ereader and eye the two dozen novel manuscripts you need to read.


Should you choose:


A) the one you got last week but couldn’t get to right away because of that revision of a Fall 2011 book that came in and needed to be edited?


B) the one that came this afternoon and sounds really exciting?


C) the one that came two days ago and sounds like a lovely literary gem?


Hmmm…well, the agent of B had lunch with you last week, and you remember how excited she was about this one in particular. She said she was sure it was right up your alley. This one could go fast. You choose B.


Forty minutes later, you arrive home. As you walk from the subway to your apartment, you decide:


A) I want to stop reading and watch Vampire Diaries instead. Proceed to I.


B) I want to keep reading. Proceed to II.


I.

You’ve been saving that Vampire Diaries episode on the DVR since last week, but, really, the reason you don’t want to keep reading is:


A) Nothing has happened in the 50 pages you’ve read so far, and you have no sense of what the main story is. Proceed to #1.


B) The protagonist is flat for you, and you’re not connecting with him at all as a real, living person. Proceed to #1.


C) The voice is stiff and sounds like an adult talking down to a teen rather than a peer talking to a peer. Proceed to #2.


D) Oh, god, another paranormal romance just like the two you read last week. Proceed to #2.


#1.

Even though you haven’t been caught by this one aspect of the manuscript, are the others strong? Is the writing and the voice good? Is there potential for the element that’s problematic to improve later on? Are your concerns ones that could be addressed in revision?


A) Yes, it’s possible that it could improve further in or that the issues would be resolved in editing. Proceed to #3.


B) No, there isn’t any aspect that grabs you, and it would take a lot of major work to change that, even in a revision. Proceed to #2.


#2.

You’ll decline the manuscript tomorrow.


#3.

You’ll read more on the subway ride to work tomorrow morning, but right now it’s TV time!


II.

You are loving this manuscript! You get to your apartment, pour yourself a bowl of cereal for dinner, and curl up on the couch to keep reading. Vampire Diaries will keep for another night. By the time you’re ready for bed, you’ve read over half of the manuscript, and it’s still hard to put down. What is it exactly that’s got you so completely drawn in?


A) The voice is fresh, nuanced, authentic, and completely believable. Proceed to #4.


B) The writing is strong and well-suited to the voice and the plot. Proceed to #4.


C) The characters are living, breathing people who you care about and you need to know what happens to them. Proceed to #4.


D) The plot is surprising, well-paced, and exciting. Proceed to #4.


#4.

Did you almost pick at least two of the other choices? Was it hard to choose just one?


A) No, the strength of the manuscript was very clear, and the other aspects are going to need a lot of attention in revision. Proceed to #5.


B) Yes, I struggled to decide what I like best! It’s all so good! Proceed to #7.


#5.

Is that one strength really enough to carry the manuscript? Can you see the potential for the others to become stronger? Do you know whether the author is good at revising?


A) This one strength is totally blowing you away. It feels like nothing else you’ve read recently. You’ll call the agent tomorrow to ask what the author’s revising process is like, but you feel confident that your concerns will be addressed in revision. Proceed to #7.


B) You love the one strength, but you just aren’t sure that it’s enough to make up for the other elements that are lacking. It’ll be a lot of work, and you’re not sure whether the author is a good reviser. Proceed to #6.


#6.

You give the manuscript to your colleagues tomorrow with a memo saying what’s blown you away, but also that you have X concerns about it. You wait impatiently while they find time to read it among their own submissions and acquired manuscript revisions. When they have, you sit down and discuss everyone’s take, and


A) Everyone agrees on its strengths, and also on its weaknesses. But feels there’s still great potential…if the author can revise well. Proceed to #8.


B) Everyone agrees that the strength is a great one, but unfortunately also that the weaknesses aren’t surmountable. Proceed sadly to #2.


C) Everyone agrees on its strengths, and that you were crazy for worrying the weaknesses were too big to address in revision. Proceed to III.


#7.

You give the manuscript to your colleagues with a memo positively raving about this story. When they’ve read it, they agree by running to your office the minute they finish so that you can gush about how good it is. But wait! There’s more to think about now! Proceed directly to III.


#8.

You’ll call the agent tomorrow and tell her how much you love what the author’s done. But, unfortunately, you don’t think manuscript’s strong enough for you to take it on yet. You have your fingers crossed that the author will be open to revising and sending it to you again in the future. In which case, you proceed back to the beginning.


III.

Where does this manuscript fit in with your list? With the many books out in the marketplace? How will you present it to the acquisitions board?


A) It’s original, fresh, exciting. It has the timeless hooks that always draw readers in, but is also not like anything else out there right now. Proceed to IV.


B) It is sure to get rave reviews and be a critical darling. Proceed to IV.


C) Okay, sure, it’s another paranormal romance, but it’s an entirely new twist that will surprise and enthrall readers. Proceed to IV.


IV.

It’s time to go to acquisitions! You know exactly how you’re positioning this manuscript (crazy popular award-winning TV show meets incredibly awesome bestselling book, of course!), have talked to the agent to learn how unbelievably amazing the author is to work with, and feel certain that both the book and the author have a bright future ahead of them. Proceed to V.


V.

That’s a whole nother blog post, friends.



Martha Mihalick is the associate editor at Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. In nearly nine years there, she has worked with many acclaimed authors and artists, including Kevin Henkes, Lynne Rae Perkins, Peter Sís, Megan Whalen Turner, Chris Crutcher, and Naomi Shihab Nye. Martha edits books for children and teens of all ages, from picture books to young adult novels. Some recent titles are: Mistwood by Leah Cypess, Do Not Build a Frankenstein by Neil Numberman, and Me and the Pumpkin Queen by Marlane Kennedy, among others. You can find her elsewhere on the internet at marthamihalick.com and @curiousmartha. And you can see what Greenwillow Books is up to at greenwillowblog.com and facebook.com/Greenwillow.



Needlesstosay, if my resolve to work on all writing elements wasn't strong-willed enough before...It is now! I will definitely think not twice, but several times before submitting my work to any agent. I want it to be the best it can be. And for now, sadly enough, it isn't quite there yet. (BUT IT WILL BE SOMEDAY PEOPLE!)  =)

Utah Writer's Conference

Sorry I took so long to talk about the Writer's Conference. I also would have pics but those will have to come later. (Sorry sorry sorry...but they will be well worth the wait, I hope =).
The conference was held in Sandy, Ut at the Waterford School. I only went to half days (unfortunate this, because I heard SOOO many great things about the morning classes). Here is a rundown of what we did:

Monday we had intros to the 'staff' (authors, editor, and agent). I couldn't stay for anything else that day because of babysitting issues...

Tuesday: Christopher Robbins (he was sure to make sure we knew he wasn't the cartoon character =) did an impromptu talk on the world of publishing, how the problems with the economy affected book sales, and what the future holds. Actually, he said that the children’s book market wasn’t really affected. People still want what’s best for their kids, and obviously that means books. As for YA, it was a little affected, but the future is bright. Adult books were the most affected, but I’m sure they will also get better.

He really emphasized what Publisher’s costs were because many writers are always under the impression that they are scanty with their pay-outs and picky about whom they take on. Really it came down to the investment they put in to each writer and he listed all the costs related to each book (and each department that works on said book). This I realized, as I am sure most of you do. There are a lot of people that work to put out a book. It costs a lot. Paper costs a lot. This:   Publisher

is the publisher that Mr. Robbins heads up. He made it a point to let us know that they are doing their part in using as much recyclable material as possible with each book they print off.

Another interesting thing (that again, should be obvious, but I didn’t really think much about) is that besides we, as writers, being the best sellers of our books (word of mouth, etc), we should also be thinking of the future in terms of how to best sell or market our MS. There are new technologies coming out all the time and if we can think of ways to configure our work into the world of tech., then we have a better chance of selling it.

Just a thought.

(Sorry this is going to be a long post…hopefully it is helpful to you).

LATER: Ally Condie (novelist, who wrote ‘Matched’) spoke to us about her experiences getting to the point she is at now. I won’t go into much detail, but one point that really resonated with me as a mom was that we all have lives. Each and every one of us is busy. We have family, kids, relatives, friends, work, whatever. But we still write. If it is important to us, we do it.

Anyway, maybe I shouldn’t go into too much detail about the conference or this post will end up being longer than all the posts I have on here altogether. Needlesstosay, I met and talked with several authors, including Alane Ferguson, Ann Dee Ellis, Mary E. Pearson, Sara Zarr, Ally Condie (as noted above), etc. As well as agent Mary Kole, and editor (of Sara Zarr) Jennifer Hunt. Alane Ferguson was great! She talked about first chapter blues. Ways that we can do a good job (cutting out first scenes that start in dream sequence, characters alone, thinking, writing for YA but focusing too much on adult characters…because we ARE adults and it is easy to escape into the mind of an adult character, and there were more…just basically making us CARE about the MC and jumping right into an emotion-packed sequence…but not TOO emotional, otherwise we don’t care) Blah blah blah…I can hear all your thoughts. You are all so brilliant and don’t need my blathering =). HA!

Anyway, she, Elane, did what she calls ‘Flash Critiquing’ of a couple of first pages from people in the class. She would have done more, but time was afleeting.

The Closing Ceremonies were an excellent array of silliness and prizes. Sadly, I didn’t win anything, BUT I DID get a copy of one of Sara Zarr’s books for asking a question of her editor, Jennifer Hunt, while the latter spoke to us about the publishing world. (Sara Zarr handed it to me personally! Swoons. JK =) (I’m trying to be modest and humble about this…can you tell? NO really. I am.)

On another note: I just finished ‘The Adoration of Jenna Fox’ by Mary E. Pearson. WHAT A BRILLIANT BOOK!!! No wonder they are making it into a movie! (check into that, I will). (link to her news) She really is a superb writer and really inspires me. There are certain things I really wanted to do, sort of like on the old movie ‘Willow’ where the magician of the village asks Willow ‘which finger holds the power’ (or something like that) and he wants to pick his own finger but thinks that is stupid. That is how I feel. There are things I really wanted to do in my book, but discarded those ideas because I thought I was ‘up in the night’. Now that I have been on my own personal journey of writing I am going to go back to those ideals and weave them into my story.

There is no holding back.

The only person that can make me fail,

Is

MYSELF.

Always remember that! (well, in your case it would be YOU that makes you fail, not me…please don’t come after me… =)

Just let loose those creative genes and be daring! Let go of all inhibition (unless that other inner voice is telling you, you really are being crazy =).

Sorry, again, this is a long post. I really learned a lot. But those of you who can’t make it to a conference, don’t despair! There are other ways to learn. The internet is a wonderful tool. Use it correctly and it will help you overcome your obstacles. I love it! It is my learning tool, my helper, my non-living teacher. There are many resources out there. Use them!

My secret adiction

Before I go into a post all about how awesome the writers conference has been, I thought I would gather my thoughts (and photos) and decide what to write. Didn't want to plunge in without a moment after it was all over to download and otherwise process the events.

Meanwhile...

I purchased three books...actually, I take that back (see, this is why I have to think before I write), I bought two books (the third was graciously given to me by Jennifer Hunt and Sara Zarr...more on that later). These books I plan on using for inspiration for my next stint of writing. I already started Sara Zarr's book 'Story of a Girl' and am already pumped up.

Anyway, more on my point for this post...I happen to have a weakness for The Lord of the Rings. I have read the books several times, of course watched the movies. But something I do that may seem crazy to anyone but myself (and my husband can attest to this because he does it with me) is that I watch ALL of the discs of the making of the movies in the extended collectors adition. I also love watching the entire movie with the commentary (and I'm talking about EVERY movie, Fellowship, Two Towers, etc) listening to the actors, art dept., you name it, ALL the commentary. (I know, crazy right?) This is something that absolutely fascinates me to no end.

If I didn't have children (which would be sad, because I love them to death)...IF I didn't and IF I knew what I know now, had the experiences etc that I have now, I would have LOVED to go off to New Zealand with my husband and work on the LOTR Trilogy! That would have been the absolute best. I don't even care what dept. I would do anything just to be apart of something so amazing.

My point with this is...I was watching 'The Making' of LOTR tonight instead of reading (because I just had to =) and it got to the part where they talked about the editing of the film. Well, it was totally inspiring.

When they showed the part where Gollum dies and the ring is destroyed, they decided to change the sequence. Originally it was very quick. Gollum falls. Ring sinks. The end. The hobbits get the heck out of there. Well, to make it more dramatic, they decided to prolong the agony, so to speak. This made it so much more enjoyable. They followed two struggles:

One: Sam trying to get Frodo not to let go and...

Two: The fall of Gollum and the demise of the ring.

This cutting back and forth really impressed me with my own MS. How can I make that moment, where the 'bad guy' is conquered, more dramatic? Do I just kill them off and that is it? Or can I go back and add, drag out (in a teeth chattering way) the final demise? Now, this may seem obvious, but it really hit me just then for some reason.

I know I can do better.

Now I have been inspired. I have more of an idea on how I can do this. And now I know I can do it. (Thank you Peter Jackson!)

But in all earnestness I have always been inspired by JRR Tolkein as well as Peter Jackson when he turned those amazing books into film. Very great. Love it!



Now..to the rest of the conference. I will try to gather my notes soon and create a post on my experiences. In the meantime, if anyone has questions about Writer's Conferences, please email me. (this is my first, so I am in no way an expert, but I will do my best =).

Tomorrow is the last day. I am in part happy that it is over (no more long drives and painful 'goodbyes' with baby) and in part very sad. I really have loved the experience.



PS. If this post was poorly written, just keep in mind that I wrote this after 11pm at night...WAY past my bed time! =)